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leaders of china Xi Jinping And Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn promised closer ties on Friday during the first visit of China By a ruling Thai monarch.
Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan welcomed Vajiralongkorn and his wife Queen Suthida at the massive Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The purpose of the visit was to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries.
According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, Xi described China and Thailand as “really good relatives, good friends and good partners.”
Beijing Xi said he hoped to boost agricultural imports from Thailand and pursue cooperation in areas such as railway development, artificial intelligence and aerospace.
Vajiralongkorn described his country’s relations with China as “brotherly cooperation” and expressed his desire to deepen exchanges in various fields.
The Thai royals were scheduled to visit a Buddhist temple and an aerospace development center in Beijing, as well as attend a state banquet.
The visit to China was Vajiralongkorn’s second official visit abroad since his ascension to the throne in 2016, besides a visit to Bhutan in April, signaling a warming of ties with China.
Thailand remains an official military ally of the United States, but China is the kingdom’s largest trading partner and increasingly a source of military equipment.
Chinese investment in Thailand has also boomed in recent years, especially as many Chinese companies have shifted production to Southeast Asia to avoid US tariffs.
In a show of cooperation with Beijing, Thai authorities deported 40 Uyghur asylum seekers back to China earlier this year, despite US criticism.
In August, a Bangkok exhibition featuring works by Tibetan, Uyghur and Hong Kong artists was censored, reportedly following complaints from Chinese diplomats.
China has also pressured Thailand and its Southeast Asian neighbors to crack down on cross-border cyber scams.